Police have recovered the body of a ten-year-old schoolgirl from the Dhaleshwari River in Munshiganj, three days after she disappeared while bathing in the neighbouring Buriganga River in Narayanganj.
The deceased, Fatema Akter, was a fourth-grade pupil at Shiachar Government Primary School in the Kutubpur Union under Fatullah Upazila, Narayanganj. She was the daughter of Shahin Mia and Najma Begum.
According to naval police sources, the tragedy unfolded on Thursday, 15 October, when Fatema went to the nearby Buriganga River to bathe alongside two schoolmates following her classes. Whilst her friends eventually managed to swim back to shore, Fatema slipped beneath the surface and was swept away by strong currents. Local residents immediately launched an informal search and rescue effort along the riverbank, but failed to locate the young girl.
Following her disappearance, Fatema’s grief-stricken family lodged a general diary (GD) with the local Fatullah Police Station on Thursday evening, prompting law enforcement and river police outposts along downstream tributaries to maintain heightened vigilance.
The search came to a tragic end at approximately 12:30 am on Saturday, 17 October. Patrol officers from the Muktarpur Naval Police Outpost spotted Fatema’s body floating amongst water hyacinths near the Munshiganj Launch Ghat on the Dhaleshwari River—several kilometres downstream from where she had first vanished. Naval police retrieved the remains shortly thereafter.
Inspector Abdul Mabud of the Muktarpur Naval Police Outpost confirmed the recovery of the corpse and stated that the girl’s body had subsequently been handed over to her bereaved family members following necessary legal procedures.
Drowning incidents along Bangladesh’s vast river networks remain a persistent concern, particularly in the industrial belt around Narayanganj and Munshiganj where heavily trafficked river routes, swift water currents, and seasonal water level shifts present frequent hazards to local communities residing near riverbanks.
